Comb decapper



Sept. 7, 1948.

w. c. LAD'wlG 2,448,986

COMB DECAPPER Filed Sept. '1 4, 1944 Patented Sept. 7,1 1948 This invention relates ingeneral'to the removal of the caps from filled 'cells of honeycomb and is more particularly 'described' as Ya rotary `uncapping ordecapping device for that purpose.

It is a common practice to provide a heated rotary knife or a heated blade to slice caps from the comb or to' use a wire brush for this purpose. These methods are' objectionable because they remove too much of the comb andwith it the honey, and if wirebrushes are used, they soon become clogged with wax and -l'ioneyv and are therefore unsanitary requiring frequent cleaning. and when clogged, they are unsatisfactory in operation.

In the present invention, each frame containing the filled honeycomb is moved over a rapidly rotating decapping device which has teeth in .rows spaced apart and from each other, but overlapping 'in 'adjacent roWs to engage the entire` provision of a decapping device in which' the re' moved material isin finely divided particles or l flakes from which tl'ie honeyis easily separated and the wax recovered forfuse.

.Further objects of theinvention are to eliminatefthe use of uncapping knives',. either hand, machine, or. heated types; to providefa sanitary rotating decapperigto provide" means'for protecting the combjcontainin'g frames during' the uncappin'g operation;` to "reduce 'the damage to the Vcomb during the uncappin'g operation; to simplifythe uncapping mechanism and therebyrto expeditethe operation and reduce the cost of 'such apparatus.'

other and further objects Qfniemventin wm appear in the specification and will be apparent. from the accompanyingv drawing, in which- Fig.' 1 is a sectional view illustrating a decapper in accordance with this invention; and 1" Fig. 2 is la sectionalV view-taken on thelineA In carrying out this invention, a frame containing honeycomb is placed upon a'carriage and moved intothe path of a rapidly rotating drum with projectinglspaced teeth which cut and remove the caps from the comb in' finely divided particles. When-the caps on one side Vof the frame are removed iny thismanner; the frame is "inverted and thejca'ps on the other side of the frame are 'removed in thel` same' manner. The `honey V1s "removed from the decappedframe' byplacing itin a. centrifugal separator. The partir cles of the caps `are retained or caught in a suitable container,` and adhering honey is easily andquickly separated therefrom because of the of comb from which the honey may drip through the screen intothecntainer below. Along the'upper' opposite sides of the casing `are rails `I for'supporting acarriage having side barsB, connecting cross-pieces 9 atfront and rear,;"and`kbottom`guide rails IB slidable upon the corresponding ,rails 1, and each rail llvl compris- `in`g a sheet-metal plate Il which extends upwardly at the innerside ofone ofthe side bars 8.

The carriage is freely slidable `upon the rails l; the ends of the' side bars 8 projectbeyond the cross bar"9 at one end toffprovide hand holds for i lifting and moving4 the carriage'and the side bars are formed near the cross-pieces 9 with slots I2 for seating the projecting ends I3 of a honeycombframe i4 therein.

The adjacent outer sires ofthe frame I4-are supported by projections l5 at the inner sides of the plates' Il so that 'theI frame is supported in the carriage'by these projections l5 engagingbelow the lower edge of the frame. The frame I4 alsov has a cross-bar I6 at its inner endwhich is of the thickness ofthe frame, the capped ends `of the comb usually projecting-slightlyv beyond y the side faces of the frame `When they are lled with honey:` l i n i Mounted infthe lowerv casing 4 is a rotatable 'dru'm20 withA a plurality of rows of prongs or teeth 2| projecting therefrom, the teeth of each row being separated from each other, and the "with respect tol those in the Aadjacent rows so that-they substantiallyoverlap and cover the enteethin adjacent rowsbeing staggered or `offset *tire surface when the drum is rapidly rotated.

' ThedrumV is rotatable upon a shaft 22 mounted in bearings at the sides of the casing 4; one end #of the lshaft projecting beyond the casing and `having a pulleyf23" secured thereto. A driving l belt 24 engages the pulley and also a driving pul ley25 `of :a motor-QZS- forrotating the drum at high-speed. The motoris preferably mounted upon an upper casingpart 21 which extends partially over the lowercasi'ng 4 and preferably over the drum 20.

, ,In formingzthe decapping drum, a metal plate or sheet'isprovided with staggered rows .of spaced openings through which the teeth or prongs 2| with heads 3| are inserted. The teeth are soldered or otherwise secured in the plate, and the plate is curved or rounded to form a drum of the desired size. The ends of the teeth are flat or curved at the outer ends about the shaft 22 as an axis, leaving the extremities blunt or curved in this manner. By spacing the teeth and staggering them so that the teeth of adjacent `rows Will substantially overlap, an .entire surface, the length of the drum, 'is engaged 4by a single rotation, or less, of the drum. In this manner, every portion of the surface of a frame lled |with honeycomb will be engaged when nthe frame is moved upon a carriage into the path of the teeth. This method of engagement'willicause. only the outer ends of the comb, .that is, the caps to be engaged; the Wax will'be 'cut up intdfln'e particles, and no substantial portion of the honey.

will be wiped or removed from the comb by the y operation.

In order toprevent itherapidly ,rotating teeth .of thedecappingdrum from-.wearing downcr engaging the inner cross-piece IB of theahoneycomb -frames,.a roundedprojectionfSS is mounted .at -the Iinside of 'the casing .4, and preferably is lsecured to the supporting 'rail This projection `extends to the .outer periphery-'of the teeth 2l, but is inthe path .of the cross-piece i5 .so that as `the Iframe l 4 is -moved :rearwardly `-or inwardly into casing 21 with the carriage, it. will -engage the upper rounded surface ofthe projection 3B, the frame will be raised thereby out of the path vof the teeth 2|, and .as the carriage movement inwardly is continued, the frame'will movedown- Wardly or willy be supported at sucha level .in -the carriage that the comb .at-theinside-of the crosspiece t6 will be uncapped substantially :dush with the outer side fof lthe frame `Without damaging the frame itselfA and Without damaging the Walls -of the comb, butzremoving only thel caps thereof which tend to bulge or project slightly beyond the outer side faces of `the comb.

At-,the inner end `of the ,rails 1, a -xed stop I9 may be provided for engaging and limiting the inward movementof the carriage into ythe lcasing, `which will protect the vouter `end of the honeycomb frame which is vseated in the slots l2 of the carriage, land therefore y,having la fixed .location for'the honeycomb fra-mes .regardless .of their width.

With this construction,'it is a simple andleasy matter to ,perform the decapping oper-ation, ;no heating of any part of the decapper is necessary, and the separati-on of the blunt teethof .the-de- `capping l:drum .prevents clogging, tlolereofv and makes thedrumeasy tof clean. Since the ,material 'of the caps is removed .in small iiakes `or .particles at the vlower side ofthe. trame lled with honeycomb, there is no tendency Afor :these particles to -fly ,upwardly ror routwardly and :the upper casing?? will `,eng-age and .return .any kparticles :which Amight ytend to fly outwardly. The

vupper casing is preferably-slidable'upon the lower casing and is -easily removed .by asimpl-y disconnecting the belt 24 from the-driving pulleys. As the particles with a small. amount of .honey fadfhering thereto fallin 'the lower casing, they .engage a screen `t at the bottom, some honey will .drip 'through the vscreen 'into vthe container, andv the :remainder is Aseparated .-from the particles fof Wax inany desiredmanner. f

I claim:

l. -Ahoneycomb decapper comprising fa rotat- `able'merriber with bluntt'eeth .spaced apart .and

of a frame to raise it out of the path of the teeth.

.3. .In a honeycomb decapper, a' rotatable meml ber with projecting spaced teeth to engage the caps 1atzone .side of a honeycomb frame, movable means for loosely supporting a frame at its sides fiorente/ement to engage the teeth, projections .at Ithe ends of the member but free from said movable means for engaging the crosspiece of a frame toraise it out of the path of the teeth .,forjthe Width of 'the crosspiece only, the frame descending after thecrosspiece .passes .the projections to engage the teeth with 'the' .caps close y.to .the crosspiece.

4. A honeycomb `de'capper comprising-a rotatable member. With .blunt .teeth spaced apart and staggered, .a carriage .movable towardl and from .the member, means for loosely .supporting a .honeycornbframe in .the carriage, ,projections 4for engaging ,a frame Across-piece .to raise it .in

the lcarriage .out -of `the .path of .the teeth, .the frame Areturning after .the crosspiece v.passes 'the projection to engage the ends of the teeth ,with caps .in the frame, .a .container below .the .rotatable .member 'for .receiving .the ,decapped .materiaL'Land a .strainer extending across the Ycontainer. v 5 I- .5. A honeycomb uncapping device to4 remove the .ends of the honeycomb in neparticlesL'com- 1'prising .a .rotatable member with a plurality of .rows Aof `teeth spaced .apart around .the member, the Iteeth of .each row being spaced'apart more than the width of each tooth, and lthe'teeth of adjacent .rows being staggered so that the 'teeth of three vor more rows .are required to cover the .spaces between the vteeth o'f Ione vrow Lforengaging the entire `width o'f the .capped surfacein one rotation of the rotatable member. l'

6A .honeycomb uncapping device toi 'remove the'ends .of the `honey inline particles, comprising a rotatable .member with a plurality -of rows .of teeth .spaced .apart around .the member, the. teeth .of each row Abeing spaced .apart more than rthe width of each row, andthe teeth .of 4adjacent jrows .being staggered ,and overlappingso that the' .teeth .rations for the teeth, the iteeth vcomprising headed pins inserted'through the perforations with the heads inside of the shell and secured 4in yplace .and the-outer ends fbeing blunt, `.and .all movable vv.in an outer path -to engage the .entire width of lthe `capped surface inone .rotation ,of the rotat- .ablememberl y -8. In a honeycombl decapper, in accordan vwith claim 6, a ymovable carriage -for .supporting la honeycomb jirame .so that .ends .of the yteeth vengage the entire rcapped :surface at .one sidejof the honeycomb .frame as .the gframe is moved by 5 the carriage with respect to the rotatable mem- Number ber. 578,234 Y 920,264 WALTER C. LADWIG. 1,443,276 5 1,523,963 REFERENCES CITED 1,867.463 The following references are of record in the 1,906,054 le of this patent: 2,316,213

UNITED STATES PATENTS w Number Name Date Number 216,403 Hill June 10, 1879 19,732 483,249 Fryer Sept. 27, 1892 98,720

'S Name Date Gutenkunst Mar. 21, 1897 :Butler May 4, 1909 g'Bfoberts Jan. 23, 1923 fHodgsn Jan. 20, 1925 n"Molins July 12, 1932 'F'reese Apr. 25, 1933 Ai'eit Apr. 13, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1903 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1923 

